It's finally April...which means a month and a couple of days until I move to Florida! I did this while I was SUPPOSED to be studying for a marketing exam...so if I fail...its your fault =P

This could possibly be the coolest (if only) thing I have seen coming from a merger between Disney and Apple.

While this MacBook cover designed by a Flickr user isn't a certified product by the two companies, I still think it's pretty sweet. 

Details about the cover aren't clear, though it looks like a vinyl sticker pasted on. 

While creative, you can't help but look at the irony - while I'm sure pun was intended. Snow White fell into a fatal sleep when she bit into the poison apple given to her by (what was unknown to her) her wicked step-mother queen. Not to say Apple's technology can lead to death...it's still kind of funny.

It would've been even more awesome if the princess were on the right side of the apple making the bite seem more believable. Yet and still - I'm amused.

             

For most of you who didn't know already, Space Mountain at WDW will soon begin refurbishment. Taken from the Orlando Sentinel:

Walt Disney World has filed notice that work is about to begin on its Space Mountain overhaul. The filing doesn’t provide many new details about what’s in store for the iconic Magic Kingdom coaster. But it does say improvements will be made in four areas: Facility, ride control, fire alarm and guest flow.
Disney has previously said the rehab will include installing new track (though the track layout won’t change), a new queue enclosure and a new ceiling. Space Mountain will shut down April 19, just after the Easter holiday. It isn’t scheduled to reopen again until Nov. 21.

This obviously means I won't be able to ride it while on my program. Not that it's my favorite ride, I mean I'm in fear of decapitation or severance of my limbs every time I ride but it's still a classic ride at the Magic Kingdom that I enjoy riding. I fortunately got the opportunity during my Spring Program to ride it with the lights on and see everything that it entails - let me tell you how both exciting and terrifying the experience was! But it was fun seeing all the CP's in the light and how much different the atmosphere was...it's a well known fact that you either want the front or the back to get the most out of the ride!

There are some advantages however. They did mention guest flow would be improved and that would be a major improvement to waiting in that long line that seemed to stretch on into eternity. while the giant meteorites that looked like chocolate chip cookies were ample entertainment paired with the sequenced screams of passengers passing by, the wait for the ride is always long, boring and tedious so I'm glad that will be improving.

Also if a new track is being put in, it might make for a fun ride. Lets just hope they don't do anything stupid like they did with the original "It's a Small World" in Disneyland CA, and input Stitch, Wall-E or any other Disney space-esque character into the ride, because I've already done a post about the stupidity of some of Disney's ideas. See previous post.

In more personal news, 43 actually days until the big move to Orlando! I've started to prioritize and see what exactly I'll need on my first trip down, and started to see if anyone wants to room with my sorry self =P. In being a good campus Rep, tomorrow I'll be calling one of my student's parents to talk with them about the program, they wanted to talk to someone who's done the program before and wanted their input. So that will be fun. I'll start to put together a send-ff party for our students and send them on their way!

But until then..I have a marketing exam that needs to be taken, a Pop Film paper that needs to be written and bed that needs to be slept in.

All that, plus it's GREEK WEEK! =)

Have a magical week!

If anyone has not heard lately, Disney has started production on their live action take of The Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia featuring Nicholas Cage as Yen Sid.

According to Ace Showbiz the movie "will tell the story of an apprentice, played by Jay Baruchel, who is left to tend to a magic workshop when his sorcerer master, portrayed by Cage, leaves it in his hands. Trying to make his job easier he gets a broomstick to do the chores for him, but he finds himself in trouble when the broom develops a mind of its own." The movie would be set in a New York-set modernization of the tale -- a big-budget family-friendly adventure epic in which Cage would play a sorcerer who needs, you guessed it, an apprentice.

No director is connected to the project just yet, but we're told the screenplay comes from the writing team of Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal -- also known as the guys who wrote "The Jewel of the Nile," "Superman 4: The Quest for Peace," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Mighty Joe Young," and "Planet of the Apes." (Rotten Tomatoes)
The movie is set for a 2010 release with other Disney Films Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Toy Story 3. **UPDATE: The movie is scheduled to release July 16th, 2010**

Here's why I give this idea an EPIC FAIL.

1. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is not only a classic itself, but was originated from a classic Fantasia. To mess with its origin and meaning is not a good thing. It ruins the classic auroa of the film. Take a look at the original film for example:
   
   



2. You don't mess with this. This is pure art. I understand that Disney is trying to reach a new target audience and everything with re-emphasizing the classic fairy tales and stories a la Enchanted, I just feel that this could tank.



3. Nicholas Cage may have been good in the National Treasure films, but this is something out of his character. I cannot see him playing a Yen Sid -type character, especially in the setting they're talking about.

This is like taking something like Lilo and Stitch and making it live action where instead of aliens, you have foreigners who become best friends and instead of being set in Hawaii, it'd be set in Suburban Rhode Island. You don't reconstruct something like The Sorcerer's Apprentice to your own bidding.

EPIC FAILURE

Don't ask why...just go with the flow.
Found at Ace Show Biz

Hey there blog buddies, So I was watching American Idol tonight (of course on DVR because I'm too busy during the week to watch live TV) and I thought to myself "I wonder what it would be like to actually be on American Idol?I


For those who know me, I like to sing. I haven't done any formal performances in almost 4 years, but singing is what I like to do...my friends tell me all the time that I should try out for AI but school has gotten in the way. But tonight, a thought accoured to me...

I could actually "audition" for American Idol and not have it interfere with school! How is this possible you might ask? Through the American Idol Experience at the Disney Studios!

When I first heard of this attraction I got super psyched. I know a couple of people who have exerienced it and they said it was awesome. I personally haven't gone down there to try it yet so I'm not sure how it works. That is what you'll have to tell me. I thought to myself today as Seacrest prolonged the answer as to who was getting voted off...but it really didn't matter because I had it DVR'ed but didn't have the sense to fast forward...ummm where was I?

Oh yea...I thought to myself (again) "What if I 'auditioned' at the parks and see what happens?" On my last program I didn't do the Night of Stars competition for CP's or even Cool Beans Cafe...speaking of which, those are pretty chill. Im goinna go to as much of those as I can to meet new people and get back to performing and having a good time. I think this time I'll get back to doing what I love (at least when I have the free time) and sing the pants off Disney World (is that even possible?). **UPDATE: My friend and one-time Cast Member Serena informed me that cast members are not able to audition which pretty much rules this out...but hey...at least I can still go and watch! And Night of Stars/ Cool Beans Cafe is still an option...**

The only thing is I'm not sure how the process works though. Anyone have any experience going through the attraction? How does it work? How do you get fast-pass to perform? I'm curious...

On another note...I heard through the grapevine, and by the grapevine i mean TheDisneyBlog that Disney, mainly ABC is having talks with Hulu to put their shows on their website.

Here's why I think it's a good idea:

• It gets more viewers to traffic their shows, not just the regular viewers they get from television.
• It's FREE
• They can put old movies up on Hulu as well...movies that people haven't seen in a long time or TV specials that only came on once that people missed.
• It's FREE
• Disney needs to jump on the bandwagon. they've got Facebook down pact, but sites like Hulu, **Twitter and the like are slowly rising to the peak of popularity. Better to get on board now than wish you had later...
• It's FREE
• Hulu is starting to become (in my opinion) as popular as YouTube especially with liscensed shows you cannot find on YouTube, Disney would be stupid not to put their shows up on Hulu.
• P.S. It's F-R-E-E!

These are just rumors I've heard, nothing solid as of right now now but i'll keep you all posted. Otherwise, 47 days until the big move...I'm getting more and more excited every day! I actually got an email from recruiting today welcoming me to the program (again) and telling me to keep an eye out on the website for updates and links to helpful sites within the Login pages. I actually got to take a look at the Eyes and Ears for March, so if anyone wants to check that issue out let me know.

Keep up with these posts and my Video Logs on Youtube so you can follow along with me on this fantasmic journey as a CP!

Make it Magical!

**P.S. My Twitter...follow me!

I give a shout out to my friend Caitlin who just got her Purple Folder yesterday!

So have you ever been walking around the parks either as a guest or a cast member and look across the way and shout either to yourself (if no-one else is around you) or to your friend next to you - (who's not paying attention because she's anxious to go on It's a Small World) "Hey! That's (Insert Celebrity Here)!!" - and try to restrain yourself from rushing over there for their autograph? Because you'd get terminated if you did so (maybe not as a guest but it'd just be tacky...I mean come on - they're on vacation too!).

A couple of days ago John Stamos and Tina Fey visited the Magic Kingdom and took a picture with Snow White, Cinderella and Belle inside Cinderella's castle. That got me to thinking back on my celebrity experiences as a cast member and those I've heard about:

• During the cast preview of the Pirate and Princess Party (one of the perks of being a cast member - getting sneak peaks of events and attractions), it was rumored that the Jack Sparrow in the parade was actually Johnny Depp in makeup. From street view I could hardly tell the difference but it could've been. (I also heard that he was actually at the event, but hiding up on one of the roofs of Main Street watching the parade so I'm not sure which one to believe...
  
• One time while browsing EPCOT, I saw both Steve Harvey and rapper Ludacris with his young daughter walking around the park. I was with friends and we were on a tight schedule though and there were already other people lining up around them. I didn't want to bother.
  
• One time in the Magic Kingdom while waiting in line for Splash Mountain I saw the Harlem Globetrotter team exiting the special exit. They really stuck out. (Because they were very tall and surrounded by body guards)
  
• While working Grad Night at the Emporium, one of my friends told me of his friend who worked the year previous that during his Grad Night he went to the service elevator to bring a bin of toys up to the floor and as soon as the elevator opened up Beyonce stepped out with a white flowing gown and the light was shining down on her. He didn't know what to do so he just fell to his knees and smiled. She smiled and asked him if he wanted a picture and he nodded. (this one I know is true because there's a picture of B with 3 princesses in front of the castle on one of our pictures for our Campus Rep display board!)
  
• Also during Grad Night, as I was preparing for my 10pm shift riding the bus from Property Control to the Main Entrance way for cast members, The Fray (who was headlining that night) was on the bus just chilling! I got to chat with them and they said they had a little bit of time before they had to do a shound check and they were bored. It was awesome I didn't really know what to say but it was really cool.
  

That's all that I can remember for now. Anyone have any celebrity experiences of their own while on their program or at the parks? Any rumors you found out to be true/false? What about mine? Are they believable? Leave your stories in the comments.

In other news...Today marks the 50 Day Countdown until check in at Vista Way. I still have some things to figure out, like what to pack, what to take with, how much cash flow I need to survive for the first few weeks and where I want to live + how many roommates.

I'm making a Talky Blog later on today for a special person who just revived her letter after a LONG time of waiting so keep an eye out for that.

Nothing else to report! So with that...Have a magical day!

So I was shaving today and it reminded me of the problems I could have while trying to follow the oh-so-highly-regarded Disney Look. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Disney Look, don't have any problems with my (lack of) hair, fingernails (I bite them), personal hygiene (I shower daily)  and tattoos and/or piercings - mainly because I don't have any.

The number one thing that caused a problem for me on my last program was shaving. During my last program I shaved with a razor every other day to make sure my face was clean shaven.

Now let me get something out of the way...I'm African American (**GASP!/SHOCK!**) and my hair grows differently than other people! It curls and it's hard (almost impossible) to shave completely with an electric razor which doesn't do any damage to my skin. During Check-In Day, I shaved with my electric razor to see what they would say and I thought I did a pretty good job, but they said I could've shaven a little bit more. I did the same one day when I went into work and my manager handed me a razor and told me to go downstairs to shave because I left stubble.

If I shave with a non-electric razor, my skin - while it gets clean - eventually develops bumps where in-grown hairs get stuck because they curl deep into the skin and my skin gets itchy and starts to burn. It gets annoying during my shift to continually rub it - especially if I'm not having  such a 'magical' day!

I tried using rubbing alcohol and and Aloe to rub on my skin and they either didn't help or made things worse...

So I go back in May and I've been conditioning my skin to shave as close as possible with my electric razor and it's been getting really close...I plan on not shaving with a non-electric razor for check-in day and seeing what they say. Hopefully they won't make me shave more cause my skin can't take it!

What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions for me to try? Any 'Disney Look' experiences to share? 

In other Disney news: 

• A New Store in Downtown Disney opened today replacing Summer Sands - it's a trendy (haha get it?) designer boutique that has designers like Roxy, Kidada Jones, Tarina Tarantino. The merchandise they sell here can’t be found in any other store at Walt Disney World.
  

•  The Flower and Garden Festival is happening at EPCOT. This year's theme is "Celebrate Springtime" with 70 amazing topiaries featuring your favorite Disney characters." Although EPCOT isn't my favorite park to visit, it's still nice to walk through and see what they do with all the topiary there it's pretty amazing. Visit my Facebook Album "CP Graduation/Last few weeks of Disney Magic!!!!" <--yes, there are 3 exclamation points...get over it lol 
• The Official Countdown is 53 Days! Getting excited every minute!

In Non-Disney News:

For anyone interested, we raised over $126,000 during BGSU's Dance Marathon for the Children's Miracle Network and St. Vincent's hospital in Toledo, OH! I'm very proud of all my DM'er and for me it's a bittersweet moment because it was my last DM as an undergrad. But I plan on coming back as an Alumni Dancer so we'll see how that goes! I posted a Vlog during Dance Marathon yesterday so check it out below or here!

Thats about it! Enjoy your week and I hope it's magical!

Video made at 2:00a
Posted at 5:30 a